Topical negative pressure (TNP) applications have been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of wounds by promoting granulation tissue formation, removing interstitial fluid, drawing wounds closed, and inducing microdeformations at the wound surface. In typical TNP applications, certain parameters may be varied, such as the pressure differential or fluid flow rates. However, it is not always possible to correlate variations in a particular parameter to a response in the wound therapy during in vivo applications, due to the lack of a controlled environment. It is therefore desirable to provide a method and apparatus for providing reduced pressure to cell cultures and measuring the effects of different parameters on TNP applications in a controlled in vitro environment.
It is also desirable to provide a method and apparatus for applying TNP that provides for controlled culture media flow rates and reduces the likelihood that air will be drawn into the cell culture. Such air induction can lead to desiccation of the matrix, thereby preventing meaningful data from being acquired.